The Emperor Qianlong's Review of the Grand Parade of Troops

Another week of heavy workload.
Thank goodness we got a Chung Yeung Festival day off.
I went to the Sotheby's auction show held in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
I planned to see the Contemporary Chinese Art session which was closed.
Instead there were some masterpieces of Chinese ceramics and works of art on show titled "Legacies of Imperial Power".
I was captivated by one piece – the Dayue tu (大閱圖), Emperor Qianlong's Review of the Grand Parade of Troops.

15 meters long. Meticulously painted.
It depict the emperor reviewing his troops which consists of astounding numbers of soldier on horseback – 16,000, I was told. (Save your trouble, you'll never be able to count.)
No larger than thumb size, one by one in formation, like duplications you can do on computer today. (Each is unique on close examination.)
No Western perspective representation here.
That somehow makes it look surprisingly modern.
It was sold for 67,860,000 HKD, around 8.7 million USD.
15 percent less than expected.
Blame the financial crisis, Sotheby's.
Or should I say the Émile Guimet family – former owner now.
How was such remarkable national treasure in the hands of a French collector?
Well, legal robbery.
By the French army officials in 1900 when the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied Beijing.
The French was controlling the Shouhuang Hall on Mt. Jing.
You can guess what was in there.